And what game ARE they playing?

Gloucester 40 defense team adds another player

A former county attorney in New Kent has signed on to assist in the defense of the Gloucester 40 as their appeal heads to a hearing before the Virginia Supreme Court. Jeff Summers, resigned as county attorney of New Kent at the beginning of February after four years on the job, joins Steve Emmert, an appellate attorney based in Virginia Beach, who is the lead attorney on the case. Emmert said Summers brings experience in local government law to the case that will be helpful.

Also involved in the case is the ACLU of Virginia and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, which also filed an amicus brief on behalf of the 40 Gloucester citizens. The Gloucester 40 were sanctioned $80,000 by Judge Westbrook J. Parker, who said they abused the judicial system in filing the petitions seeking the removal of four Gloucester supervisors. Summers is retired from the U.S. Marine Corps, in which he spent 20 years in communications before he began practicing law about 9 1/2 years ago. When reached on Friday, Summers said he's reading the voluminous legal documents associated with the cases involving the petitions seeking the removal of four supervisors from office, as well as the criminal cases against the four supervisors. "I don't think either court ruled as it should and that's why I'm in the case," Summers said.

About the Author

I’ve been a newspaper reporter since 1991. I’ve been with the Daily Press since 2004 and live in Gloucester with my family. I’m a native Oregonian and worked for several newspapers in Oregon before moving to Virginia.